TEST REPORT HDTV Satellite and IPTV Receiver

AZBox Ultra HD
We here in the test center
like this arrangement for two
reasons: first of all no exces-

A Small Elegant
sive heat buildup will take
place within the tight confines
of the AZBox Ultra HD and

HDTV Receiver
second, if the power supply
were to ever fail, it would
be easy to replace it. AZBox
continues to be a frontrunner
when it comes to features like
this.
The series of HDTV boxes from AZBox has a new addition
to the family: the small AZBox Ultra HD that just like its big The AZBox Ultra HD is
completely black and comes
brother, the AZBox Premium HD Plus (see our test report in off as being noble and digni-
TELE-satellite issue 04-05/2010), is also shipped from the fied. On the front panel are
six buttons that can be used
factory in an elegant package. Upon opening the package, to control the receiver in the
absence of the remote con-
you’ll find that there are two separate boxes. One of the
trol. There are also two status
boxes contains the receiver while the other box has the LEDs for power and LAN.

external power supply and the remote control. CI slots are not to be found

0.45

16 TELE-satellite — Global Digital TV Magazine — 08-09/2010 — www.TELE-satellite.com

 TELE-satellite World www.TELE-satellite.com/...
Download this report in other languages from the Internet:
Arabic ‫ العربية‬ www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/ara/azbox.pdf
Indonesian Indonesia www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/bid/azbox.pdf
Bulgarian Български www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/bul/azbox.pdf
although there is a card slot 128 MB DDR memory mod- Czech Česky www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/ces/azbox.pdf
German Deutsch www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/deu/azbox.pdf
located on the side of the ules (one for the receiver and English English www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/eng/azbox.pdf
Spanish Español www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/esp/azbox.pdf
receiver. This card slot was the other for the video dis- Farsi ‫ فارس ي‬ www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/far/azbox.pdf
French Français www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/fra/azbox.pdf
not activated in our test play) and a 300 MHz CPU pro- Hebrew ‫ עברית‬ www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/heb/azbox.pdf
Greek Ελληνικά www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/hel/azbox.pdf
receiver; this option has been vides an overall very positive Croatian Hrvatski www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/hrv/azbox.pdf
Italian Italiano www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/ita/azbox.pdf
saved for future firmware impression. Hungarian Magyar www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/mag/azbox.pdf
Mandarin 中文 www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/man/azbox.pdf
versions. Dutch Nederlands www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/ned/azbox.pdf
Polish Polski www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/pol/azbox.pdf
The included remote con- Portuguese Português www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/por/azbox.pdf
Romanian Română www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/rom/azbox.pdf
The receiver is nicely trol is somewhat small such Russian Русский www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/rus/azbox.pdf
Swedish Svenska www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/sve/azbox.pdf
equipped: it comes with a that, for example, the PVR Turkish Türkçe www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/tur/azbox.pdf
DVB-S2 tuner input as well buttons are sitting so close to Available online starting from 30 July 2010
as a looped through output, each other that some users
like that for the Premium or multitude of different set-
an HDMI interface, three RCA might have difficulty with
Elite HD, then for the Ultra tings. It starts with select-
jacks for YUV, a 0/12V jack, them. Otherwise the overall
HD it’ll be just as detailed and ing the desired language
an RJ45 and USB 2.0 inter- workmanship of the remote
valuable. and setting the clock to the
face, three additional RCA is quite good as we have to
correct time. In addition to
jacks for CVBS and analog come to expect from AZBox.
As soon as the box is turned English, French and German,
audio, an optical digital audio
on for the first time, the the receiver can also be set
output and a main power Since this receiver is fairly
AZBox Setup menu appears. to Portuguese, Dutch, Czech,
switch. These interfaces can new, our test box didn’t come
Since this receiver can receive Russian, Spanish, Polish,
all be found on the rear panel. with a user manual; but one
not only DVB-S2 signals but Serbian, Hungarian, Greek,
will be available by the time
can also be used as an IPTV Bulgarian, Slovakian and
Its technical data such as a production begins. And if the
box to access the Internet, Turkish. The desired audio
Linux operating system, two user manual will be anything
it’s not surprising to find a and subtitle language can be
selected directly in the set-
tings menu.

As you would expect with

any decent digital receiver,
08-09/2010 the AZBox can adjust the
AZBox Ultra HD internal clock automatically
Fully Equipped Satellite
and Internet HDTV Receiver via satellite. Thanks to the
network connection and the
resulting link to the Internet,
the receiver can also get the
time signal via the Internet
- this is a new feature for a
satellite receiver.

And while we’re on the sub-

ject of the Internet, in order
to make this receiver com-
patible with a network, there
are naturally some additional
settings that need to be
taken care of even if this only
means acquiring a valid IP
address through DHCP.

If the network doesn’t have

an integrated DHCP server,
then the IP address, subnet
mask, gateway and DNS
server can be entered manu-
ally.

www.TELE-satellite.com — 08-09/2010 — TELE-satellite — Global Digital TV Magazine 17

 The OSD shows that a power supply, the manufac-
network connection can turer also opted for an exter-
be achieved not only with nal hard drive. In so doing,
the RJ45 jack but also with AZBox has remained true to
WLAN. Unfortunately we the concept of simplicity and
couldn’t activate the WLAN above all leaving the hard
option during our tests and drive choice up to the end
Main Menu the technical specifications user.
also did not suggest that the
necessary hardware was even To make sure that the cus-
available. tomer doesn’t have to first
open up the receiver in order
Since the reception of IPTV to install or swap out a hard
requires a fast Internet con- drive, the manufacturer fash-
nection, the manufacturer ioned a cover on the top side
included a Speedtest in the of the box that is held in place
AZBox so that you can check with just a few screws thus
for yourself to see if your providing easy access to the
Internet connection is good hard drive. This makes it easy
enough for IPTV and other for anyone to add or exchange
Blind Scan media content. a hard drive. Through a cor-
responding entry in the setup
The AZBox uses every menu, the hard drive can be
aspect of a network connec- formatted and made available
tion so that, for example, an for use in the AZBox.
FTP server as well as a file
server and a Telnet server Thanks to the integrated
are available; they can be DVB-S2 tuner, the AZBox is
activated and configured as perfect for reception of high
needed in the Setup menu. resolution content. Naturally,
the matching HDMI video
The manufacturer even output must also be there
thought of the use of a and can be set for 576i, 576p,
Channel List
dynamic DNS service so that 720p, 1080i and 1080p.
the receiver can be accessed
anywhere in the world not If your TV doesn’t have an
only through an IP address HDMI input, the video signal
but also through an easy to can also be supplied via YUV,
remember domain that you S-Video and CVBS. Along with
can set up for free at www. that, there are a variety of
dyndns.org. More on this sub- modes available to display a
ject can be found for exam- 4:3 signal on a 16:9 TV.
ple in TELE-satellite issue
06-07/2010. The AZBox has a multitude
of audio settings options let-
Just like with the external ting you match this receiver
Info Bar

Expanded Info Bar Network Settings

18 TELE-satellite — Global Digital TV Magazine — 08-09/2010 — www.TELE-satellite.com

 with any digitally compatible as 1.2 and 1.3 (USALS) for
stereo system. For example, motorized antennas are also
a Dolby Digital or DTS signal available.
can be presented in PCM or
RAW. To fill up the internal chan-
nel memory, the AZBox offers
In our tests we were quite not only an automatic chan-
pleased with the AZBox’s nel scan for one or more sat-
picture quality as well as its ellites, there’s also a manual
audio quality. HD content was transponder scan and if
especially impressive and desired there’s even manual
thanks to the 1080p output, PID entry for the DXer.
this receiver is also ready for
the next leap in HD technol- Last but not least, there’s
ogy. The heart of it all can be also a Blind Scan feature that
seen in the Setup submenu lets you enter a start and
“TV Channel” in which numer- end frequency as well as the
ous settings for both DVB-S2 desired frequency steps and
Channel List with both DVB-S2 and IPTV Channels and IPTV can be handled. polarization. Naturally, satel-
lite and transponder entries
The preprogrammed satel- can be edited, deleted or
lite list includes 173 satellites added. Also practical, consid-
from Europe, Asia and the ering the lack of a CI slot, is
Americas and include rela- the ability to limit a channel
tively up to date transpon- scan to TV, radio, encrypted
der data. For each individual or free.
entry a variety of parameters
such as LOF and 22 KHz can An automatic channel scan
be set up. of HOTBIRD demonstrated
that the AZBox didn’t miss
The LOF setting itself a beat here; it found 1314
IPTV Channel Info Bar offers numerous choices so TV channels and 416 radio
that even LNBs with unusual channels in just a little over
oscillator frequencies can six minutes. A Blind Scan of
be used. Thanks to the inte- the same satellite needed a
grated 0/12V jack, something little more time to complete
not often found on modern but managed to find 1416 TV
receivers, this box can also channels and 431 radio chan-
be used with older C/Ku-band nels in just about 13 min-
systems. utes and stored them in the
receiver’s internal memory.
The DiSEqC protocols 1.0
for up to four satellites, 1.1 SCPC reception was just as
for up to 16 satellites as well impressive; the AZBox was
Internet Browser

YouTube Player SCPC Reception of “Videolina” with an SR of 1.824 Ms/s

20 TELE-satellite — Global Digital TV Magazine — 08-09/2010 — www.TELE-satellite.com

able to handle a 1.824 Ms/s channel list; it can also be guide. This can show either sible TV programs that are
signal on EUTELSAT W7 at 36 used to download new soft- information on up to seven available.
east without any problems. ware directly to the receiver. channels or more detailed
Additional tests with weaker And this not only guarantees information on a single chan- For the YouTube feature, the
signals further proved the that the receiver itself can be nel. Since we are dealing manufacturer included a fully
capabilities of the receiver’s kept up to date with the latest with a PVR receiver, timer functional player for the pop-
tuner. software, but it also reduces entries can of course be set ular video portal with numer-
the chances of the user incor- up directly from the EPG; ous settings capabilities. This
Besides TV and radio rectly installing new software even the desired recording involves not only activating
reception via satellite, the and thereby rendering the medium (internal hard drive region specific YouTube con-
AZBox can also handle IPTV receiver useless. or external USB device) can tent, but you can also select
reception. We connected be chosen here. categories, feeds and enter
the receiver to our internal Once all the settings have in date limitations. And let’s
eight-channel network and been taken care of, you can A push of the OK button not forget that there’s also a
after entering the necessary leave the Setup menu. The opens up the channel list that search function.
parameters (IP address and AZBox then switches over to can display up to 16 channels
ports), we were able to store the all-encompassing Main at the same time on one page. The AZBox has its own
all of the available chan- menu. Its eleven submenus This actually makes it fun to plug-in interface that
nels individually in the chan- include TV, YouTube, Plug- comb through an extensive allows resourceful develop-
nel list. The time needed to ins, Movies, Music, Photos, channel list. The list can be ers from around the world
switch between channels was Data Manager, FTP, RSS sorted alphabetically, by to expand the capabilities
good to say nothing about the News, Browser and Settings. frequency, by satellite, by of the receiver. Especially
exceptional picture quality! genre, by provider, by coun- interesting is the ability to
If you select TV, the AZBox try or by CAS/FTA. Channels directly download plug-ins
For IP channels, the user switches to DVB-S2 mode you like to watch more often via the Internet through this
can enter the IP address as and activates the built-in than others can be moved interface. The end user no
well as the port and stream tuner. An Info Bar provides into one of the Favorites lists. longer needs to sift through
type of the desired IPTV detailed information on the Other actions such as the the Internet for match-
channel into the AZBox. You current and upcoming pro- deleting or renaming of chan- ing enhancements; he can
can also choose whether the grams as well as displays nels can also be taken care of choose corresponding plug-
receiver should automatically the specific data of a channel in this menu. ins directly with the remote
go into DVB-S2 mode or not such as encryption, teletext, control and load them into
when it’s turned on. subtitles, HD, etc. Since the AZBox can imme- the receiver’s memory with
diately display the EPG data the push of one button.
To round things off, the Just like with most other of a stored channel (if avail-
Setup menu also comes with digital receivers, a double able), it’s easy to find a good Thanks to ever-increasing
an access control feature that push of the Info button pro- movie to watch in the evening Internet data transfer rates,
can limit access to specific vides expanded program- from the hundreds of pos- it has become standard prac-
menu sections or channels. ming information on the
current channel, while a push
Of course the Internet of the EPG button activates
connection isn’t just for the the electronic programming

22 TELE-satellite — Global Digital TV Magazine — 08-09/2010 — www.TELE-satellite.com

tice to not only download display pictures in JPEG,
pictures and music from the BMP and GIF formats. It also
ENERGY
DIAGRAM
Internet, but videos as well. comes with a file manager
Not bad at all, but who wants and has the capability to
to always watch content on a receive RSS News.
PC? This is where the AZBox
Mode Apparent Active Factor
comes into play; thanks to The path from RSS News StandBy 21 W 8 W 0.38
Apparent Power
Reception 35 W 16 W 0.45
the USB 2.0 interface, an feeds to a web browser isn’t
external hard drive or USB far at all; the manufacturer
stick can be used to store must have thought this too
Active Power
video content. and included a fully func-
tional Internet browser in the
The receiver is actually AZBox Ultra HD. Obviously it
very accommodating and can’t take the place of a typi-
can accept almost all of the cal PC browser because of the
popular video formats such lack of a mouse, but if there’s First 15 minutes: Standby
Second 15 Minutes: receiver boot process followed by active operation
as XVID in SD and HD, DIVX, a commercial break and you,
with channel switching, recording, playback, etc.
MPEG1 and MPEG2, MPEG4.2, for example, quickly want to
WMV9 and H.264 in various check the weather forecast Expert Opinion
versions. for the next couple of days, it +
will definitely do the job. Complete Internet integration including IPTV.
The AZBox can also take Powerful Blind Scan function.
the place of your CD collec- The AZBox is a small Flexible hard drive interface.
tion; it can play back music receiver with many sides to it Limited internal heat buildup thanks to an exter-
in a variety of formats includ- that would be quite at home in nal power supply.
Thomas Haring
TELE-satellite
ing MP1, 2 and 3, as well as the living room. It is perfect Test Center
Austria
AAC, M4A, WAV, WMA, FLACC for those who can do with-
-
and OGG. The receiver can out features like a twin tuner Operating the Internet browser somewhat cumbersome.
also handle a number of MP3 but like the idea of Internet
related features such as title access and the ability to jump
display. To be honest, we into the world of IPTV. The TECHNICAL
DATA
didn’t expect anything differ- receiver’s firmware gave us
Manufacturer Opensat, Edificio OPENSAT, Lagoa
ent from AZBox. no problems during our tests; C.P 4950-283 Mazedo, MNÇ Portugal
we did not experience any Fax +351 251 652 966
To top it all off, this multi- software crashes or other E-Mail info@AZBox.com
media powerhouse can also problems at all.
Model AZBox Ultra HD

Function Digital HDTV DVB-S/2 and IPTV receiver with

various Multimedia & Internet Features

Channel Memory 15000

Symbolrate 2-45 Ms/sec.

SCPC Compatible yes

DiSEqC 1.0 / 1.1 / 1.2 / 1.3

USALS yes

HDMI Output yes

Scart Connector no

Audio/Video Outputs 6x RCA

Component Video Output yes

S-Video Output yes

UHF Modulator no

0/12 Volt Connector yes

Digital Audio Output yes

EPG yes

C/Ku-Band compatible yes

PVR-Function yes

USB 2.0 Connector yes

Ethernet yes

E-SATA no

www.TELE-satellite.com — 08-09/2010 — TELE-satellite — Global Digital TV Magazine 23